At least four dead as blasts, gunfire rock Afghan city

Image for representational purpose only

Faye Gross
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14 May, 2018, 04:13

Afghan security forces have struggled to combat the Taliban and ISIS since the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formally concluded their combat role in the country in 2014, shifting to a support and counterterrorism mission.

No individual or group including the Taliban militants has so far claimed responsibility behind the attack. The battle took place inside a building which houses the state accounts office.

The assault comes days after suicide bombers and gunmen launched apparently coordinated attacks on two Kabul police stations Wednesday, killing at least ten people. It was the latest deadly violence to strike Afghanistan as militant groups step up attacks and US-backed Afghan forces intensify air strikes and ground offensives.

Attahullah Khogyani, the spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said a suicide auto bomb exploded outside the building, which belongs to the provincial finance directorate.

The provincial governor's spokesman also added that the security forces managed to rescue at least forty two people, including civilians and government workers.

However, the Taliban is now taking part in its annual spring offensive and has launched a number of attacks in recent weeks.

At the same time, Taliban fighters have stepped up the pressure on government forces across the country, from Baghlan province in the north, where they seized a district centre last week, to Farah in the southwest or Ghazni, south of Kabul.

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